Untouchable Star
by Iris Anthe
Summary: Ren overhears an argument between Kyouko and Fuwa Sho while "just happening" to be passing through the deserted area where he usually finds the Chicken. Though they'd never admit it, both Ren and Shou have something in common.
1. Chapter 1

"God, you're an idiot," came a disgusted male voice.

Ren quickly turned away from the corridor he'd been headed down, knowing _that _was a conversation he certainly didn't want to overhear.

"What the hell? How dare you talk to me that way you imbecile?" came a high-pitched reply.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Was that her? It couldn't be. But, even with dread mounting inside him he found himself edging back toward that often deserted area he made a habit of passing through when he could on the off chance of seeing the chicken. It was ridiculous to actually want to see a man in a chicken suit, but honestly, Ren had come to accept more and more in his life that would doubtless be considered piteously ridiculous to an outside observer if they ever knew.

"And how dare you come marching up and act so rudely to a guest on the show. I realize you just want to ruin my career any way you can, you selfish bastard, but I won't put up with you being rude to others just to get at me."

It was. That was definitely Kyouko, and with panic chilling his gut, he knew without even looking around the corner that the person she was screaming at could only be that little bastard, Fuwa Sho. He was the only one who could make her fall apart so completely, like a lover's quarrel every time.

"Oh please, I don't need to sabotage you to be more famous than you," came his smug reply. "I was saving you from a lecherous old creep who was trying to get you into a locked room, you utter retard!"

Fury and despair flooded through Ren's full six foot three inch frame. He did it again. That bastard. That bastard Sho had saved her when Ren wasn't there. Fear gripped him and fury and shame again. She'd been trapped alone with a predator...

"Whaaat! Don't be ridiculous! He was the guest on the show. He was just curious about the costume. What is the matter with you? And, what the hell makes you think I need your help with anything? EVER? Just stay away from me!" The last part was said with contempt, and Ren could hear it ... with pain. That little creep could still cause her pain.

"Kyouko." Fuwa's voice was lower now, though no less angry sounding. Ren had to move close to catch the rest of his words. "Kyouko, you're not a kid anymore. One of these days your idiocy is going to get you into real trouble." Ren could peek around the corner unseen behind the tall, portable lighting and sound booms pushed up againts the wall for storage. Kyouko was dressed in a tank top and spandex shorts, her hair pushed back with a wide band. Looking small and vulnerable with her whole body in stark outline from the close fitting clothes, her fists were clenched tightly and her face was turned away, while Fuwa stood with his hands jammed into a pair of ridiculous gray jeans that were more holes than fabric, his face contorted with something that looked like a frustration so old it had long ago turned into a grudge.

"Shoutarou, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've had a long day. I'm going home," came Kyouko's terse and suddenly tired reply. She made to walk past him, but his arm shot out and grabbed her wrist. Ren nearly bolted forward, giving himself away as an eavesdropper, when he saw that contact, but she didn't pull away. Why wasn't she pulling away? God, he was an idiot. Of course she would still let that little shit touch her, when he couldn't even lay a finger on her without sending her into a state of panic. He felt another little part of his crumbling self- esteem break right then.

"Listen to me, will you?" Fuwa's voice pleaded, not looking at her. Neither of them looking at the other now, just connected by his hand on her wrist. Damn it. Always connected. "You never see it. You never see when a man wants you." Kyouko's entire body seized up with tension, but he still held onto her wrist. "It's just like with that damned Beagle. You're so blind and one of these days you won't be with a guy who stops himself from touching you just because you're terrified." Ren's heart rate was pounding. Her frozen face in his mind's eye, her body stiff with terror. Fuwa knew. he knew it just as sure as Ren himself, and yet somehow he was able to talk to her about these things, something Ren could never do.

With a burst of spiteful strength, Kyouko twisted her wrist out of Fuwa's grip, leaving red marks behind. Ren was impotently furious as he watched.

She laughed, heavy and dull. "Please, no-one wants me like that. You said it yourself, I'm a plain, boring girl, no man would want. Do you have to be cruel and rub it in?" She began to walk away again.

"You fool! Of course I wanted you! Who wouldn't want you?" he shouted after her. She froze on the spot, her back to them both. "But you never, ever wanted me back!" Fuwa's hands flew up and gripped his hair, body tense with some held-back emotion.

Kyouko turned slowly around and glared at the boy. "How dare you?" she snarled. "How dare you say things like that just to mess with me?"

"God! you're fucking impossible!" he yelled, arms thrown out, releasing his hair and looking for all the world like he was about to hit her. Again, Ren tensed to leap out. Fuwa kicked a box of props across the floor, and sat heavily with head in hands, ironically where Ren had sat himself, pouring out his woes to a guy in a giant chicken costume.

Leave, leave Kyouko. Leave now, thought Ren. But instead she stomped over to the boy and stood with her hands on her small hips, fuming down at him.

"You dare to call me impossible. You trick me into leaving Kyoto, leaving school, dragging me to Tokyo to live with you, letting me think I was somehow special to you, when all you brought me along for was to be your FUCKING MAID?" she screamed, and kicked him in the shin.

"OW! OW! FUCK! God damn it, you fucking BITCH!" he yelled, rolling around, clutching his leg.

"I'm not taking your lies anymore Shoutarou! I'm not stupid enough to be fooled twice. I know you. I know you better than anyone else, and you're a lying, selfish, egotistical bastard who uses everyone and anyone to get even the smallest thing. Don't even try to talk to me about wanting me," she snorted derisively. "You only ever saw me as your servant, and nothing more."

She turned and to Ren's dismay began walking his way.

"That is not the truth, and you would know it, if you ever stopped lying to yourself, even for a minute," came a tired reply.

Complete confusion warred with indignation all over her face as Fuwa continued in a lowered voice.

"Maybe that's why you've turned out to be a pretty good actress. You're such a good liar." She was pure outrage as she turned back around.

"No. Shut up." He raised a hand to stop her from talking.

"Shut up and listen. In my parent's house, with you playing the perfect little daughter all the time, the perfect hostess, trying to please them, all the while scared to death they were going to throw you out if you did anything wrong ... You used to cry." He shifted, clearly uncomfortable just thinking about it. "And, I never knew what to do. And I know you made yourself cheerful. And I hated them! I hated the whole damned thing. I brought you, not just because you're a seriously good cook," he smiled as though at a personal joke "and not just because you were going to be my wife anyway," Ren's lungs constricted in shock "but just to get you out of there! And ... and to get you ... with me. I thought," he paused and grimaced, then laughed "I thought somehow that having you alone in an apartment with me, I'd finally get to touch you." He glanced up and Ren was furious thinking about that scheming bastard alone with Kyouko in an apartment, every night. He could see the little jerk measuring the result of his words, hoping still to get his hands on the girl. Fury returned.

"Touch me?" she echoed faintly.

"Yes," he replied, rising up standing in front of her, much, much too close.

She shook her head, almost spasming with denial. "No!" she yelled and jumped back.

Fuwa growled and jammed his hands back into those stupid looking jeans of his. He made a snicking sound of disgust as he brushed past her, walking in Ren's direction, then paused. "Seriously, I pity the next guy who is dumb enough to fall in love with you."

With that he walked on, passing where Ren leaned, attempting foolishly to look casual, head tilted back against the wall. And with some horrible sixth-sense, Fuwa turned his head suddenly and saw Ren standing there. He paused in shock and then with a look of loathing that morphed into a grimacing smirk he shook his head and left.

There was a thud and the sound of stifled sobbing. Ren pounded his head against the wall once, twice and then cursing himself for a fool pushed off to go comfort a girl who had completely ruined his ordered, compartmentalized, safe life and brought him the only joy or comfort he'd felt outside of acting in over seven years. He walked over quietly and crouched before her, stopping himself once again from reaching out a hand to touch that untouchable star.


	2. Chapter 2

Get a hold of yourself, come on, she thought to herself even as she continued to hide her face in the crook of her arm and felt stupid, useless tears squeezing out like stones from her heart. Come on now, she repeated to herself, just get up and find your corn stone and it will be alright.

"Corn," she whispered aloud to give herself strength to get up.

A gasp that sounded very close made her freeze. She looked up to see none other than Tsuruga Ren squatting before her with a hand midway between them. The shock of this was so great, she actually forgot everything for a moment to gape at him like an idiot, but she quickly realized her own humiliation. Just how much shame must I have in front of this man, she wondered before standing up straight and then bowing to hide her red, and likely blotchy, wet face.

"I- I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san. Excuse me." She tried to escape, but one of those giant hands reached out and caught her shoulder.

"Mogami-san, please, don't leave," he said in his utmost kindly voice, the one she really had such a hard time resisting. "Please, I am worried. You look deeply upset. Can you tell me why?" he asked. She worked very hard not to look at him then, knowing his face had a terrible power to get her to do just about anything sometimes, and just shook her head.

"Well," he hesitated, "what about your big brother? Could you tell him?"

Against her better judgment she looked up in surprise to find him bent down to be eye level with her, head tilted a little and a sad little quirk on one side of his mouth. Not to mention a bit of those puppy eyes that Cain was always pulling on her to get his way.

"But," she stuttered, "but, Tsuruga-san, you're not really my big brother." She saw him frown and thought to soften her words. "I-I just need a little moment to collect myself. I'll be fine. Thank you," and she tried to give him a good smile, but in response he just frowned a little more.

"Really, I'm asking you," he replied in a serious voice. "Please trust me a little. Can't you, please? If just for a moment, think of me as someone you can trust."

He looked so sad, and in truth he looked like Cain. That's because he IS Cain, you idiot, she reminded herself. Or rather, Cain is Tsuruga-san. She pondered this for a moment, a little lost in the puzzle that was an actor and the character born from inside, and so on, until she felt his hand flex just slightly on her shoulder and pull her in toward his massive torso.

And that was how she found herself surrounded by warmth and safety and against her nature, lulled into a state of absolute trust, even if just for a little bit. He's always so warm, she thought, smelling his scent and remembering just how much she liked it. Safe. I feel safe.

"Mother," she whispered and started to pull away, but he held her and patted her back in a slow and gentle manner.

"What about her?" he asked.

Kyouko took a deep breath and closing her eyes could see momentary flashes of an old and painful memory.

"Mother didn't want me," she whispered, afraid of her own voice to be speaking these things aloud. "I didn't know it was the last time I'd see her." God, why was she telling him this? How could she admit these things?

"It's okay, Kyouko. It's alright. You're safe to tell me. It's alright," he assured her, rocking back and forth ever so slightly now.

She felt her throat constrict. Remembered her mother brushing her hair and dressing her in her very nicest dress, taking a cloth to her shoes to make sure they were clean, pinning a bow in her hair. She'd felt so cherished, in a way she'd rarely felt before and hope had filled her as her mother stepped back and declared her 'very pretty.'

"She dressed me ... so nicely and then we walked to the Ryokan where Sh-Shou lived, just down the street. Along the way she told me I'd be taken care of and kept safe, just so long as I worked hard and did everything right. A-and," she felt her face crumple for a moment and her ability to speak as well, but that gentle rocking continued and she was able to master her voice once more. "Sh-she told me I would be his wife one day, and I was so happy. I was so happy to know that one day I would marry my prince and I smiled up at her because she'd made my wish come true."

She could still remember, although her mother's face had faded strangely from her mind's eye over the years, she remembered the look of pure disgust that had been on her mother's face right then.

"She told me," Kyouko was breathing shallowly and fear gripped her just at the memory. "She told me that I was stupid, a stupid, useless girl who would probably ruin everything anyway." Without even knowing she'd done it, Kyouko's hands that had moved to hold onto the man holding her, clenched in his shirt.

"She said she'd been stupid once and it had ruined her life. Then she stopped and looked at me and said she'd give me one bit of advice and if I wasn't a complete idiot I'd follow it. She told me to never let a man touch me, no matter how much he claimed to want me, because the minute I did, he'd leave and never come back."

The arms tightened a bit too much around her, distracting her just enough to stop her from erupting in new tears. She gave a little squeak of protest, and could breathe more easily as the pressure lifted. With the side of her face cradled against the massive torso she both heard and felt its expansion and slow exhale as her mentor sighed.

"Mogami-san," he said while running a lage hand over the back of her head, "Your father..."

She stiffened in shock. That was a word that was not allowed. She was not allowed to say that word, or talk about it at all! But the hand kept petting her head and the arms kept holding her, and she realized that really, her mother was no longer there to make these rules. She felt safe. Safe enough even to relax, of only a little bit.

"Your father did not love your mother," came the rumbled statement from the chest under her ear. She made to pull away, but he held her saying, "Shhhhhh. Shhhhhhh. It's alright. Just listen." For the first time since he'd begun to hold her, she really did start to feel uncomfortable, squirmy in her gut. So she moved her hands to press away from him and he let her go, but caught her hands before she could make a full escape.

"Your father did not love her and left her with a broken heart," he continued holding her hands. She could not make herself look up. She did not want to hear this. "He also left her with a wonderful little girl who was made to love her with all her heart, but she was so broken inside that she could no longer accept love, or give it, and threw away that precious gift."

A warm hand came up to brush her hair behind her ear and then rested on her shoulder. Before she could stop herself she was looking up into her mentor's beautiful face, aglow with one of those special smiles that she sometimes got to see.

God, what a beautiful smile that is, she thought in awe.

"But your mother was wrong," he continued looking intensely at her as she flinched. "It is true that some men will find pleasure in a woman's touch only to leave when he feels done." She gasped at the blatant cruelty as he spoke of such a taboo subject. "But," and he held up a finger to emphasize his point, "a man who truly loves a woman will wait until she is ready, until she loves him just as much as he loves her. He will wait and hold himself back," and a look of something intense flitted across his features brielfy, "even though it is painful... because he does not want to see her cry."

The hands came up to wipe away tears from her cheeks and she felt herself flush, knew she was in danger as her heart began to race.

"So don't worry, Mogami-san," he smiled a little sadly. "The man who truly loves you will wait, and though at times his need for comfort from you, and his desire to claim you as his forever will burn him horribly, he will still love you though he never gets to feel your hands on his face or your warmth beside him, because you are simply the wonderful woman he loves, just for being you."

Just for being me, she repeated in her mind. Love me just for being me? Looking up into that smile of his, she felt it happen. Right then her worst fears came true and that last lock flew right off the box holding her heart inside. She held tight to her body, keeping it from clutching onto this man who had turned her life completely upside down in the nearly two years she had known him. Damn it! There was no way to reverse it now, and damn him for being so wonderful. What a stupid, stupid girl she was to fall in love with a man so far from her reach it was laughable.


	3. Chapter 3

Hikaru was not an eavesdropper. Really, he wasn't. He considered himself a pretty honorable guy. And he was ... just, right then he maybe wasn't, because right now he was listening, unseen to a conversation that had his heart hammering so hard he felt he might lose consciousness if he couldn't calm down soon.

Tsuruga Ren, the guy voted most desirable man in all of Japan by pretty much every list out there, was holding on to Kyoko-chan as though they touched intimately like that all the time. What was worse, the words he'd said, about a man in love waiting for the girl to be ready, even if it broke his heart and drove him crazy to do it ... those words felt like a warning bolt shot right into his gut.

Did Tsuruga know? Did EVERYONE know how much Hikaru was head over heels in love with Kyoko-chan, except her? But then, probably Tsuruga didn't even know Hikaru existed. Let's face facts. There were stars, and then there were STARS.

But even so, Hikaru felt as though his growing frustration and depression over the lack of headway with his adorable, talented, and sometimes dead-sexy costar had been frozen, desiccated and blown away by the gentle morality of the big man's words. "The man who truly loves you will wait," he'd said. Well, he'd been waiting, but maybe he had to decide. Would he wait and wait, and wait some more? Or, would he admit that she was never going to want him the way he definitely wanted her. Who was Tsuruga speaking to, if not to him?

His innards felt heavy and he was filled with the desire to see her right then-just look at her sweet face. Chancing it, he peeked his head past the divider he'd been hiding behind, and immediately wished he hadn't.

There, plain as day was Kyoko-chan in love. She was staring at the guy holding her face in his hands as though he lit the moon at night, and called the sun up out of the ocean at dawn.

"Damn," he muttered.

Well, there was waiting, and then there was hopeless idiocy. Anybody with half a brain could see she was completely in love with that guy. It was always the tall ones. ALWAYS.

He gave himself one last look at his utter defeat, because maybe he was a little masochistic, or maybe just to remind himself that he really was an idiot who'd never get the girl. Then, turning slowly he walked back down the corridor he'd come from in the vain hope of getting his sweet, little co-star to maybe spend some time with him outside of work.

He felt so low that even Shinichi and Yuusei's teasing and clowning petered out and fell silent around him.

"Sorry leader," Yuusei muttered while wrapping a consoling arm around the shorter man's shoulders. "Maybe next time, right?" he said with a small shake and a sad echo of hope.

Hikaru sighed and smiled.

"I don't think so. No," was all he said.

**Thank you to the people who were so kind and thoughtful as to leave reviews of this story. I thought it was done, but reading all of the superb Hikaru stories out there, my mind kept wondering what Hikaru would make of all this- poor guy. I hope you enjoyed this rather short aside. I don't think I'll take this further, but then again, it does seem to keep wiggling its way into my mind. I particularly am thankful for the clever and kind reviews by Tamiiland, Nikholas F. Toledo Zu, Jhiz, Miaka Mouse ^_~, Evensong3, and kohitsujichan. I have gotten rather addicted to the stories written by many of you, and it is deeply satisfying to have the good thoughts of people whose work I enjoy so much.**

**Now, if only I could get the "Love in an Elevator" inspired story out of my head. I just don't feel comfortable writing it, as it's rather racy. But, my goodness, it just won't leave me alone.**


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